Desperate
by Quixotic Cervantes
Summary: Hermione Granger never knew just how deep under her skin she'd let him get.


**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry Potter- I'd be a frickin' millionaire! **

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Hermione kissed the boy before her furiously, pulling him as close as possible. Despite years of turnabout insults between them, she _needed_ to know he was there, that he was alive.

_When she'd heard he was injured, cut up by one Harry Potter and a wayward spell found in his potions book, time seemed to stop. One feeling raced through her, intense and unexpected: fear._

_No pride for being right about that damn book._

_No concern for Harry and the possibility of his expulsion._

_No, this feeling was fear. Fear that _he_ was going to die. _

_She'd rushed to the hospital wing as soon as she thought no one would make the connection. Hoping none would discover she was racing to check on her enemy._

She began undoing his shirt buttons as he pushed her against the wall, thrilled when she was finally able to push it from his shoulders. His skin, pale in the night and seemingly glowing from the light of the moon, was still clammy- they shouldn't have been doing this period, let alone in his condition.

_It started three years ago, the day she'd punched him. It felt good to finally tell him what an arrogant prat he actually was- and even better to see him cower at the tip of her wand. He knew what she was capable of, and he feared her. The look of astonishment on his face, already beginning to look red, has showed her a new side of him. _

She moaned as his mouth descended to her neck, sucking and nipping as his hands fumbled with her skirt, just as hers were even more awkwardly dealing with his pant ties.

_Fourth year, dear Merlin. The Yule Ball had mostly been wonderful. Her date was interested in her, and she was going all out. Her dress fit perfectly, her hair had been tamed- the correction of her teeth was an added bonus. _

_She had entered the hall and, unconsciously, found herself seeking out the blond who had hexed her earlier that term. When she finally spotted him, she was pleased to see him gaping. Smirking she winked at him before beginning her dance with Viktor. _

He pulled away when she managed to untie the strings to his pajama pants. He looked her in the eye. She looked right back, examining their cool grey color, dulled from the obvious lack of sleep.

Raising one hand, she gently touched the bruises under his eyes. He merely stared, still silently asking his question. She answered with a resounding tug to his waist.

_He'd asked her to dance during the ball, she knew the dim lighting was the only reason- but she accepted anyway. Tonight was special, she wasn't going to hold onto old grudges. _

"_You look beautiful, Granger." he said as they danced, albeit stiffly. _

_She raised her eyes, shocked. He said it so calmly, no malice, no embarrassment, just a comment. She smiled softly, "Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself."_

She nearly cried out as he entered her, but managed to stop- the consequences would be too great.

In this moment, it didn't matter that they seemed to hate each other, or that she was upset over Ron and not thinking clearly. This moment she wanted to be with him.

She pulled him up and kissed him as they finished, slowing their movements even as they shook from the exertion. They collapsed on the floor, her eyes drooping as a thin arm wrapped around her. Her eyes began to close as she thought over the last year.

_She'd noticed all year, of course. The exceptionally pale pallor of his skin, the bruising that indicated loss of sleep, his marks dropping in his classes, the withdrawal from social activity. _

It was interesting, she mused, that between extreme class loads, worrying about Harry, and her upset over "Won-won" and "Lav" she could still find time to focus on him.

That horrifying moment, she knew. There was some part of her that cared about him. The same part that proclaimed his innocence every time Harry suspected him, the part that had seen his amiable side, the part that had both relished and hared his fear and insecurity.

It was that same part of her that had driven her to the Hospital Wing, and straight into the arms of Draco Malfoy.

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**AN: So, I'm not sure how this one happened. I just really like this pairing...and Half-Blood Prince.  
**


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